Debauched by Bella Klaus

Chapter Five

Istormed to the door and pulled the handle, only to find that it was locked. How typical.

My gaze dropped down to the Hell ring that contained not only my memories of everything that had happened since the night of the ball but whatever I had been thinking about at the time. There was enough information in my head to piece together that my entire life had been a filthy lie.

But I still wasn’t completely sure why. Everything that had happened to me since I poured my memory into a ring was blank. I know that I had intended to replace my body with that of Persphone’s, but I had no idea how it had happened.

I glanced down at my body, noting the curtain of red hair flowing across my shoulders, the larger breasts, and the wider hips. My throat stiffened, and I swallowed over and over. I was no longer Kora.

“Forget about this,” I muttered. “Hades is out there suffering, and he needs me.”

A pit of fury formed in my stomach, bubbling, bristling, boiling at the implication that Hades had committed such atrocities. And that bloody Samael had a nerve to suggest a man like Hades would violate him!

I raced to the window, checked the sashes, the handles, anything that might give me a chance to escape. It was sealed shut.

Next, I closed my eyes and pushed my magic into the palace in Hell. Either they’d blocked the room, or my new body couldn’t teleport across realms. I tried teleporting into Hades’ St. James’s Park office, but that also didn’t work.

“Time to use brute force,” I muttered.

The door handle was one of those metallic objects that you pulled down that also had an attached lock. Melting it might be too time consuming, but the door itself was wooden and looked easy enough to destroy.

I placed my hands to the top and bottom of the handle and pushed my power into my palms. The wood burned beneath my fingertips, filling my nostrils with the heat and scent of smoke. Clenching my teeth, I turned my head and forced my breaths to become shallow. There was no point busting through this prison and then collapsing from inhaling toxic fumes.

Minutes later, I burned a hole around the handle, completely bypassing the locking mechanism. I eased my fingers into the charred wood, pulled the door open, and stepped out into the hallway of a derelict mansion.

The moment the thick air reached my nostrils, I gagged. Dust and mold and mildew combined with a hint of brimstone that made my stomach churn. I clapped a hand over my nose and mouth, trying not to gape at my surroundings.

How on earth had Mother navigated this hallway in her condition? Soot covered the crumbling plaster walls, and daylight streamed through a floor consisting of half-eaten planks.

“Bloody hell,” I muttered into my mouth, making sure to take tentative steps. “This place looks ready to fall apart.”

As I continued through the hallway, the wooden boards yielded underfoot with a mix of damp and woodworm. I splayed out my hands for balance in case the floor collapsed under my weight.

Why on earth had they put me in a place like this?

At the center of the corridor, the walls opened up to a grand hallway that would have once housed a crystal chandelier large enough to serve an entire street. Beyond the mezzanine, a trio of windows stood twenty feet tall, flooding the space with daylight.

This would have once been a grand house, where its owners could have held the type of fancy balls on period dramas. I tried not to think about how it had fallen to such ruin and hurried onward.

At the end of the hall was a set of stairs that looked as though they’d suffered at least two dozen fires and would crumble to ash the moment I tried to descend. I closed my eyes, pictured Namara’s office, and sent my magic out to St. James’s Park. When I opened them, I was still at the top of the burned-out stairwell.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath.

A cool breeze meandered in through a broken window of blackened glass that offered glimpses of an overgrown garden. I focused my magic on the mansion’s exterior, and in the blink of an eye, I stood outside.

My lungs filled with the scent of grass, wet earth, and pollen. An insect buzzed too close to my ear, making me flinch.

Opening my eyes, I found myself in the middle of what I could only describe as a jungle of six-foot-tall brambles covered in white flowers. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to avoid the thorns. The mansion stood fifty feet away, a three-story Georgian building that had once been white but had now fallen to rot and ruin.

“Couldn’t I have at least teleported to the doorstep?” I muttered. “Or onto the main road?”

I glanced from side to side, trying to work out if I was in another country, another realm, or some form of Hell. Judging by the amount of ivy growing around everything, it looked like I was still in England, and from the distant sound of traffic, there was a road nearby.

Closing my eyes once more, I tried teleporting to Namara’s office, but I remained in place. My heart skipped. If I could leave this garden and step out of the wards, I could try again.

Lowering my head, I jogged back toward the derelict, where the ground was paved and there was no chance of thorns slashing at my face. Brambles and foliage caught in my longer hair, making me have to yank myself free.

“What is it with this body?” I growled. “It’s a magnet for vegetation.”

By the time I reached the paved area, I was covered in flowers, stalks, stickyweed, and vines. I jogged around the garden and along the side of the derelict to where I hoped would be a driveway or at least an exit.

“Who goes there?” said a deep voice.

A palpitation of shock had me whirling around to meet the amber eyes of a seven-foot-tall man with oversized teeth. He wore the black uniform of a security guard and was either a demon wearing a poor glamor or a hybrid.

“Who are you?” I asked in my haughtiest voice.

His thick brows rose to his cap. “I’m the one asking the questions, and you’re trespassing.”

“Well, sorry about that,” I said, trying not to sound sarcastic. “If you could point me in the direction to the nearest road, I’ll be on my way—”

“No.” He pulled out a gun. “I’ve got to clear this with the boss.”

Dread plummeted into my stomach, and I reeled forward. I forced my features into a neutral expression. Hopefully, this guard wasn’t too bright, and I could talk my way out of being captured.

“What are you talking about?” I furrowed my brow, trying to look confused. “Someone told me this was the Museum of Natural Plants. Let me go, and I won’t bother you again.”

He grinned, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Nope, that’s not how security works, young lady.”

I clenched my teeth. Was he about to mansplain being a mindless henchman? Something moved behind me. I turned around to find a quartet of similar-looking guards standing at my back, each staring down at me through unusually colored eyes. The one on the right hadn’t even made an effort with his disguise and sneered at me through slitted red pupils.

“What’s going on?” I glanced from the overgrown garden to the derelict’s exterior, looking for a means of escape.

“You triggered the alarms, Miss,” said the first guard from behind. “We’re obliged to investigate all disturbances.”

Sparks flew from my hands. It looked like I would have to fight my way out. “Let me go,” I snapped. “Or I’ll reduce you all to char.”

“There’s no need for violence,” rasped a voice from behind the wall of security guards.

They parted to reveal Samael, who still wore his three-piece suit doctor costume, complete with the less alarming face. My stomach lurched. Now that I knew what to look for, his face appeared too smooth to be real. Either he’d had extensive cosmetic surgery, or his ugliness was too severe to hide behind a glamor.

Samael smiled at me, revealing a mouthful of serrated teeth. In this new body, I towered over him by four inches, even while wearing slippers.

“Kora.” He elongated the syllables. “I see that your memories have returned.”

Every ounce of blood drained from my face to power my clattering heart, but I smoothed my features into a mask of mild bemusement.

“Dr. Samael, what are you talking about?” I tilted my head to the side.

“There’s no need to pretend with me.” He mirrored my expression, letting the light of the sun bounce off his slicked-down hair. “You’re trying to reach Hades.”

I made sure to curl my fists. “Of course I am. Hades needs killing for what he did to Mother and me. Violations like that can’t be forgiven.”

Samael chuckled with a dry coughing sound that held no mirth. “You cannot fool me, child.”

A cool wind rustled through the garden, making my skin tighten into goosebumps. I swallowed hard, my gaze darting from side to side. Teleporting wasn’t an option. I had tried within the brambles. If I used my lightning to fight the demons, some of it might hit Samael, and I would incite the wrath of Heaven for attacking a fellow monarch.

A shudder ran down my spine at the memory of Varaha, the boar demon who had turned to salt after biting an extra mouthful of food without permission. I couldn’t let the same happen to me.

“Kora.” He reached for me with a gloved hand.

I snatched my arm out of reach and stepped back, bumping into the first demon guard. “Don’t touch me.”

Samael raised his palms. “We started off on the wrong foot.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I no longer have any animosity toward Hades.”

My eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

He placed his hands on his hips. “Now that I have a working penis, his jibes no longer sting.”

My gaze wandered down the pinstriped suit that covered his thin frame and to his slim-fitting pants, where an unruly bulge snaked down his right leg. It was larger than any I’d seen, with a bulbous tip that twitched under my gaze.

Trying not to gag, I glanced at the demons surrounding Samael, wondering how they would react to his admission. They all stiffened and held their faces in expressionless masks. Something in their postures told me that they knew not to snicker at his castration.

Turning my gaze back to Samael, I asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Your pretense at ignorance is becoming tiresome,” he snapped.

My nostrils flared. I had no idea how he knew I was back to being myself, but my insides tightened with readiness for a fight. “What do you want from me?”

“A truce.” He folded his arms across his thin chest.

“Go on.” I raised my brows.

“Like I said, I know you’ve regained your memory, and you have no intention of assassinating your beloved husband.”

I clenched my teeth, waiting for him to get to some kind of point.

“You and I are more related than you could ever know,” he murmured. “Did you know your mother gifted me with something wonderful?”

“A baby?” I asked.

He chuckled. “The equipment required to produce heirs.”

My nose wrinkled. Was he talking about his missing penis again? Where on earth did Mother have one of them lying around, unless she had stolen it from Pirithous before killing him?

I pressed my lips in a tight line. Right now, I was in huge danger and on the verge of being captured by the most diabolical of all the Demon Kings. I did not need to dwell on his pilfered genitals.

“You mentioned a truce,” I said. “How’s that going to work?”

He inclined his head and raised his elbow the way gentlemen did when they were courting women on the TV shows. “Walk with me, my dear.”

Swallowing back my revulsion at his attempt at charm, I placed my hands behind my back. “What’s this truce about, then?”

Samael sighed, his shoulders sagging, and he strolled past the demons. I remained rooted to the spot, not knowing if this was some kind of trap.

“His Majesty told you to walk.” The first demon prodded me in the back with a thick finger.

Samael spun, his eyes turning white with rage. He pointed his finger at the demon, transforming him to stone. A breeze meandered in through the overgrown garden, and tiny grains of white drifted off his petrified body.

I clapped a hand over my mouth. Samael had the power to reduce people to salt.

“Please accept my apologies, Kora,” he said, sounding genuinely remorseful. “But you are my daughter, and that comes with the expectation of respect.”

The demons standing to the side tensed, their gazes no longer on me.

Samael inclined his head once more and offered me his arm. “Please walk with me.”

This time, I stepped forward on trembling legs, but no force in Heaven and Hell could get me to touch that wretched creature.

He continued strolling alongside the derelict, and I walked at his side. For the next few heartbeats, Samael remained silent, seeming to take in his surroundings. I glanced from the dilapidated mansion, which was covered in moss, to a garden of overgrown ivy that spiraled around oddly shaped structures that had once been outbuildings.

“Demeter’s unnatural obsession with you will soon come to an end,” he said.

“Because of the baby?” I asked.

He nodded. “I intend to get her pregnant again as soon as she has birthed our daughter.”

I swallowed back a bellyful of disgust. “Why?”

“You are familiar with the management of Hell, yes?”

“How it was split into nine Factions, you mean?”

“That’s correct,” he said. “With the angels inserting so many rules into the management of my former realm, taking control is becoming increasingly difficult.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“If I assassinate every leader, then Heaven will reduce me to salt. If I arrange their demise indirectly, then there’s no guarantee I will arrive in that realm quickly enough to take leadership.”

“Oh.” I didn’t bother to mention that he had seized control of the Second after poor Varaha had been killed. “Does that mean you have a new plan?”

“Family.” He turned to me with a grin.

I placed a hand over my chest. “Pardon?”

“Now that you’re my daughter, I already potentially control the Fifth.” His eyes narrowed. “We are technically family, yes?”

My stomach flipped. If I said no, would he try something dastardly? “Of course,” I replied. “You’re married to my mother.”

“And I have certain body parts of your father,” he said with a wink.

A shudder ran down my spine and settled into my roiling stomach. I clenched my teeth and forced myself to smile. Had Mother plundered the statue of Zeus for genitals? Based on the twinkle in Samael’s eyes, I guessed the answer was yes.

At the end of the mansion was a walkway that led through eight-foot-tall tufts of pampas grass, complete with white tassels. He paused and folded his hands over his concave stomach. “Are you agreeable to a truce?”

“What would I need to do?” I asked, the fine hairs on every inch of skin standing to attention.

“Nothing onerous,” he said with a smile. “When I take control of Hell, you and Hades will step down and take your places as my prince and princess.”

“Oh,” I murmured, trying to give myself time to think. I didn’t know anything about Hell. Or why Heaven had decided to split it into nine realms. It was something related to wanting to curtail Samael’s power, but this wasn’t a decision I could make without Hades.

I glanced over my shoulder to find that the quartet of guards had turned into a small squadron of sixteen, and some of them hadn’t even made the effort to disguise themselves as humanoid. A scaly creature with a mouth like a slit stood at the edge of the group, staring at me though beady, black eyes.

My throat dried. If I refused, I doubted Samael would allow me to leave these wards. And he would forget all that crap about me being his daughter. The best case scenario was that he had lined up these demons to attack me the moment I refused his offer.

I turned to him and frowned. “That’s all?”

His brows rose. “Your fealty during the war I intend to start with Heaven would be pivotal to my success. I do not treat it lightly.”

“All right, but I need to discuss this with Hades.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Or I can wait for Demeter’s plant to consume what’s left of your husband and deal with you directly.”

“Fine,” I said. “When the time comes, we won’t stand against you.”

Samael wagged his finger from side to side. “I want you to fight with me.”

Bitterness coated the back of my tongue. “I’m not hurting my friends.”

“Of course not,” he said with a dry chuckle. “Unless you consider your friends angels.”

“Not particularly,” I muttered. “May I leave, please?”

“One more thing,” he said with a cold smile.

I sucked in a breath through my teeth, wishing I knew more about the loopholes within the Handbook of Hell. “Yes?”

“You’re going to be instrumental in helping me take control of the Seventh.”

My eyes bulged. “Are you talking about Lucifer?”

“The very same.” He rocked forward on his heels, his eyes narrowing with an expression that promised Hades would suffer if I refused.

A band of anxiety wrapped around my chest. The last time I had seen Lucifer was at the housewarming party, where he’d helped get me drunk and pretended to drag me upstairs just so Hades could act the big hero and come to my rescue. Lucifer was one of the few Demon Kings that I actually liked, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t play along with Samael… at least until I could break free.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked with a sigh.

“Seduce Lucifer and birth his replacement.”

I reared back, my mouth falling open. “You think it’s going to be that easy?” My words tumbled over each other. “He’s good friends with Hades and knows we’re married—”

“Lucifer knows Kora.” Samael beamed. “He has never met Persephone.”

I glanced in the direction of the path, wishing I could use it to escape.

“Please don’t walk away from our conversation,” he said, sounding bored. “My men will subject you to torments that will make you wish you’d agreed to a pleasant evening with a handsome gentleman like Lucifer.”

“I wasn’t planning on running,” I snapped.

“Watch your tone, daughter,” he hissed.

I clenched my teeth. He was just as bad as Mother—worse, because Mother never tried to control me with the threat of sexual assault. I turned to Samael, wishing Heaven would allow me to reduce him to char. “I’m listening.”

“Very good,” he said with a tiny smile. “I want you to approach Lucifer and tell him you’re a minor goddess in need of a mate.”

“Offer to sell my soul, you mean?” I asked.

He inclined his head. “Lucifer is notorious for making deals with beautiful women.”

“What does he do with them?” I asked.

“Who knows?” Samael said with a shrug.

“All right, but do you really want me to sign a contract with him?” I asked.

“The handbook states that monarchs cannot enter into formal agreements.”

“Right…” My voice trailed off. Something about this arrangement sounded off.

An idea dropped into my head. Samael wanted me to be on his side when he took control of Hell, but he couldn’t back up our agreement with a contract.

Why?

Because he would face the wrath of Heaven.

I breathed hard, trying to suppress my excitement. All I needed to do was say yes to whatever he wanted and there would be no consequences for changing my mind. And I could double-cross him without repercussions.

“Are you still with me?” Samael asked.

My gaze snapped back to his overly smooth features. “I am. What happens to Lucifer when I sign?”

“You remember what became of Varaha?” he asked.

I nodded. “Won’t that also affect me?”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Heaven only punishes the person who seeks to benefit from the contract. The other party may walk away unscathed.”

That was a bag of bullshit, but if agreeing to this scheme meant leaving this garden, I would nod and smile and work out a way to get even with Mother and Samael.

“All right, then.” I clapped my hands together. “But how am I going to get pregnant?”

The corners of his lips curled into a smile. “Would you like me to show you?”

I shook my head. “You’re a father figure to me, now.”

His shoulders sagged, and he appeared disturbingly disappointed. “Lucifer likes to romance his women before entering into contracts with them. Take a fertility potion before each date. Don’t sign the contract until he takes you to bed and you’re sure he has gotten you pregnant.”

I stared into Samael’s watery eyes, wondering if the pregnancy plot was just a smokescreen for making Lucifer and me self-destruct. He probably thought by suggesting I conceive a child with the King of the Seventh that I would feel secure to carry out this stupid plan.

“Do we have an agreement?” He held out a gloved hand.

My body went rigid at the prospect of touching any part of Samael, regardless of if he had a layer of cotton separating his flesh from mine. I stepped back, swallowing hard to calm my churning stomach.

“Yes,” I said, my words clipped. “I agree to your terms, but only if you can reverse what Mother did to Hades.”

He shook his head. “All I can do is distract her from making further attacks on your husband. You, however, are in possession of the body capable of controlling the plants.”

“All right.” I turned toward the path. “May I go?”

He swept his arm toward the exit, which now felt like a gauntlet of poisonous plants. With a crowd of demons behind me ready to attack and Samael staring at me as though I was a delicious form of steak, I couldn’t help wondering if he’d hidden something nasty within the vegetation.

It was doubtful, since his intention for confronting me here was to coerce me into making that contract with Lucifer.

“See you later,” I murmured.

“You will, indeed,” he drawled.

My skin tightened, and my insides surged with cold anxiety. I pulled back my shoulders, mustered up all my courage, and took my first step down the path that led to the exit.

The plants on either side bowed toward me as though I was their source of nourishment. Ignoring them, I hurried down the path and tried not to look back.

“Kora?”

My spine stiffened, and my feet ground to a halt. “Yes?”

Heavy footsteps thudded toward me, making my insides twist into knots. I turned to find one of the demons from earlier approaching with a thick folder crammed with papers.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“His Majesty says you need to study this dossier on the Seventh.”

I leaned to the side and stared down the path, looking for a grinning Samael, but he had already gone.

“Thanks.” I took the proffered folder.

With a grunt of acknowledgement, the demon turned on his heel and continued toward his comrades.

I broke into a run.

This had to be some kind of trick. Samael couldn’t truly believe I would get pregnant with Lucifer’s baby, yet he’d allowed me to leave. A creature like him didn’t make slip ups. He had probably already devised a way to force me to comply with his awful scheme.

My fingers twisted the Hell ring. There was no point in thinking things through until I teleported to freedom, and I couldn’t do that without leaving this property’s boundaries.

A gentle breeze blew through my hair, making my skin tighten with trepidation.

Bloody Hell, I needed Hades now more than ever.